American warship sails through Taiwan Strait

A US warship has sailed through the Taiwan Strait, the first since the island resoundingly re-elected its independence-leaning president.

China has greeted Tsai Ing-wen’s re-election with anger. Picture: Getty Images

A US warship has sailed through the Taiwan Strait, Taipei’s defence ministry said on Friday, the first such passage since the island resoundingly re-elected its independence-leaning president.

The warship was on a “routine mission”, the ministry said, as it traversed the stretch of water that divides the democracy from the authoritarian Chinese mainland.

The waterway bristles with hardware on both sides and China views any sail-by as a breach of its sovereignty.

The US and other nations say the strait is international waters and Washington regularly carries out “freedom of navigation” operations to press the point.

The sail-by comes after Tsai Ing-wen won a second term in weekend elections with an increased majority.

The outcome was seen as a forceful rebuke of Beijing’s ongoing campaign to isolate the ­island.

China’s leadership had made no secret of its desire to see Ms Tsai turfed out because she and her party refuse to acknowledge their view that Taiwan is part of a “one China”. Beijing regards the island as its territory and has vowed to one day seize it, by force if necessary — especially if it declares independence.

China has greeted Ms Tsai’s re-election with anger, warning against any move to push the ­island closer towards formal ­independence.

AFP